One thing we recommend is to design the shower area so that it does not need an enclosure to keep water from splashing out. It really simplifies the task of keeping the bathroom clean. No moldy curtains or scum encrusted doors.
No seams to accumulate germs, and other stuff too gross to name. You could try enlarging the shower pan beyond the shower area so it would catch all the splashing water.
If you can do that and better, here is an idea that is almost too weird to try, make the shower pan large enough so it would contain the toilet.
Can you imagine the ease of keeping the toilet clean? Just scrub it all over with a large brush and rinse with a hand-held shower head.
I know this may sound harsh but Vanessa and I both agree that you should get rid of it all because none of it really works in this space, nothing is really 'helping' you out. And all these little tables and storage cabinets make the room feel smaller than it really is. I think the black weighs the room down and the corner piece is not only taking up the space, but it's blocking your beautiful windows and the sunlight. I'd love to see you put in a desk that runs along the same wall that your computer cabinet is currently on and over it, some art and an inspiration board (like this) where you can pin up some of the things you currently keep on the interior doors of your cabinet. For a desk, opt for something in a medium wood or white that has visible legs vs. a solid 'box' bottom without legs because it will give the room a lighter feel. I can't tell how high your windows are from the floor but I can predict that you couldn't put a desk across that wall, so why not try a wall-to-wall window seat painted in white with box window-seat cushions in your favorite print. You could have the benches with either storage beneath (with doors) or they could lift up and you could put things inside. Swap out the black leather task chair for something a little more interesting, maybe a vintage find like this cane chair with a chartreuse seat.
That depends on what you plan to do in there. Are you mainly on a computer or do you need to lay out papers, draft, paint, work with equipment like a letterpress, etc.? Do you meet with clients? A desk, chair, seating for clients (optional), storage, a trash bin, location for your equipment, lighting, organization items (folders, etc.) and optional things like shelving for the walls, a corkboard, etc. You want to incorporate a color scheme and patterns that will inspire productivity and make you want to actually spend time in your home office space. With all this in mind, let's visit with decor8 reader Heather today who submitted her office for a decor8 e-consult after reading this post last month by Vanessa De Vargas. Since the post inspired all of this, I teamed up with Vanessa and together, we whipped up a plan of action for Heather.
We all know that a mere physical structure does not make a home. It is the furniture that we put into it, and how it makes us feel and the type of mood that it creates for us, that make it a first home. Home furniture, home décor and furniture, home entertainment furniture, home bar furniture, even used home furniture, if properly chosen, can do wonders in creating for us the home of our dreams. Attending a model home furniture sale or deciding to purchase furniture online can also result in purchases that are well within our budget and yet elegant and tasteful.The bedroom, kitchen, living room, dining room, bars, and study, and can even be strategically placed so as to create a multipurpose room like a dining cum living room.
DESIGN SPOT was formed in 1992 by a group of enthusiastic and talented interior designers with creative ideas in the field of Interior Design at Bangalore, India. Over the years we have designed and executed several prestigious and challenging projects.
We are a company that believes that every project is a challenge in itself. This leads to in-depth research before a design is presented to the client. We have matured into an organization which is just not another interior design company and our Project List speaks for itself, be it Interior, Architectural or Landscape design projects all over India.
Decorating on a budget is the ultimate adventure in decorating. It requires a little bit of planning, creativity, and patience. If you are like me, sometimes you wish you could be a genie and wiggle your nose and poof it's done. However, that takes away from all the fun! Follow these tips and you'll have a home that looks like a page out of your favorite magazine!
1. Visit Furniture Showrooms
Make notes of styles of furniture you like. Also, take note of colors and fabrics that create a "warm" feeling inside of you. By visiting showrooms you can get an idea of the new trends and styles. Choose a Color Scheme.
2. Browse Through Decorating Magazines
Magazines are a source of inspirational ideas. Create a scrapbook of magazine clippings and refer to your book when shopping for your home.
3. Shop Second-Hand Stores
One person's trash is another person's treasure can never be so true. One place to look is the classifieds in your local newspaper. I have found great deals on furniture in thrift stores and auctions. Don't worry if an item is not in the best of shape. A coat of paint will work wonders for some furniture. Slipcovers can update an old couch or chair.
4. Color! Color! Color!
To create a dramatic, inexpensive change to your home, paint the walls a new color or buy new curtains. Keep in mind the moods that colors can create.
5. Create Your Own Art
For me, one of the best parts of decorating is creating my own original works of art to hang on the walls. It could be as simple as collecting leaves when they have turned colors and creating a picture collage. A nice frame makes any work of art look classy. Take a drawing, photography or painting class at your local community college. Gain inspiration by browsing through art books at your local library or bookstore. If you're into black and white photos, but do not want to pay the high price for this type of art, buy a book or calendar of your favorite photographer and frame the pictures.
6. Shop Discount Stores
Thank God for discount stores! This place will save you a ton of money on accessories. You will find little treasures such as candle holders, candles, potpourri, and knick knacks for very little money. Who will ever know?
7. Be Patient!
Take your time and shop during sales. Remember, Rome was not built in a day!
When decorating, you'll find that your tastes in furniture, accents and colors will converge into a specific, although personalized, style. Following are some of the more common styles and their definitions.
Rustic
Rustic furniture is commonly a simple style that is typical of country life. Generally made from hardwoods it is often un- or roughly finished. Read more on Rustic Style Home Decorating.
Eclectic
A truly personalized decorating style that combines furniture and accessories of various styles, textures, origins, and periods. Read more on Electic Home Decorating.
Traditional
Traditionally styled furniture has a classic, elegant, and formal look. Comprised of dark polished woods, curves, carvings and deep, rich color, a traditional style typically follows a particular period fashion such as Regency, Tudor, or French Provincial.
Country
Is a sunny, casual, heart-warming style of décor. Gingham and floral cottons, distressed and painted woods, ruffles, plump cushions and sofas, and soft furniture of pine and oak are hallmarks of this style.
Contemporary
Contemporary style lends a modern look to a room with clean lines, simple contours and bold colors as primary features. Glass, leather, slate and metal are typical components of often-uncomplicated pieces.
Remember decorating styles can also work as guide. Choose elements which you like and mix and match for your own individual style.
Your living room is the heart of your house, you express yourself in a sophisticated editing of your surroundings. Most important to you is the drama that you can achieve by eliminating clutter, you can lead the eye to the main event, whether that be a dramatically-lit sculpture, a fabulous rug or a fantastic piece of art.
Your carefully-planned look can be ruined by a messy stack of unread mail. Look critically at where you'll need storage and think creatively. Do you always drop the mail on the coffee table after you walk in the door? Perhaps you need a sleek console table in the entryway with a large ebony box to stash the mail in before you mess up the living room.
Don't detract from what's most important If you have a dynamite view, maybe you don't want to spoil it with any window treatment. If you have a gorgeous piece of art, spend a little on a contemporary light to add drama and give the art breathing room on the wall.
Sophisticated leathers and textures add interest to a contemporary living room.
If your coffee table is brushed stainless steel, don't buy brass lamps. When your incidentals are harmonious, the eye will be drawn to the drama that you create. In a small living room you may be starting with an asset. Small square footage can create an intimate living space.
Where to begin?
Firstly you should add architectural details. For example in small spaces, built-in cabinets and bookshelves are great for storage and they can make the room seem larger by accenting the vertical and horizontal lines. If you build floor-to-ceiling shelves you can add a focal point to the room.
Think out of the box: Try arranging your furniture on a room-widening angle. Instead of another chair, add an oversize ottoman. When not used as seating, it makes a grand and comfortable statement.
Home decoration is the art of decorating a room so that it looks good, is easy to use and function wells with the existing architecture, The goal of home decoration is to provide a certain "feel" for the room, it encompasses applying wall paper, painting walls and other surfaces, choosing furniture and fittings and providing other decorations like artefacts and sculptures....
For the millions of people that live along the United States' southern and eastern coast lines, protecting your home from hurricanes is extremely important. One strong storm can leave your home devastated in a matter of hours. If you live along America's hurricane-prone coastlines, home hurricane protection is one area of investment you can't afford to ignore. But where do you begin? The following home owner's to do list covers five steps to take before a storm hits to make sure your home is protected.
1. Secure your windows
The vast majority of all hurricane damage is caused by high wind speeds. High winds pick up debris and send it flying at incredible speeds. All it takes is one good sized tree branch to hit your window in just the right spot, and now your home has been breached. Shattered glass from window breaks also poses a real danger, particularly if you are inside the home during the storm. Hurricane shutters are one of the best investments you can make to protect your windows. Look for shutters that have received Dade County Product Approval, which is the highest standard in the industry for hurricane protection products. For a less expensive option, consider making your own shutters with 5/8" thick plywood.
2. Secure the garage door
This is particularly important if you have a home with an attached garage. The garage door is a weak point in most homes, and it can be easily blown in by hurricane speed winds. When the garage door is blown in and the wind pressure fills your home, it only take a short time for the windows and doors to blow in, too. In the worst case, the roof follows suit. Some garage doors are advertised as hurricane-resistant, but they can be costly. Securing your garage door doesn't have to be an expensive proposal! Consider boarding your garage door over with plywood, or using 2x4's to brace it from the inside.
3. Install hurricane straps
Galvanized metal hurricane straps are used to secure the roof trusses to wall studs. If you're building a new home, be sure the builder uses hurricane straps, as this is one of the best (and most cost effective) ways to make sure the roof doesn't blow off your home during a hurricane. Note: It is possible to install hurricane straps on an existing home, but you may need to hire a contractor to do the job.
4. Eliminate possible projectiles
When you know a storm is coming, walk all around your home and yard, and consider objects that could potentially be picked up by the wind and turned into flying projectiles. Yard and garden ornaments, birdbaths, grills, patio furniture, potted plants, and children's toys are all things to be secured or brought indoors.
5. Trim your trees
Keeping your trees in good shape is an important step in making sure that limbs won't come down on your house during a hurricane. First, trim any large branches that hang over your house. Second, thin the tree's branches out so it won't catch too much wind in a storm and become uprooted. Finally, consider removing trees that lean toward a building or power lines, trees that are diseased, or that have rotted and/or cracked trunks. These trees are a hazard and should be taken out by you, so that they're not taken out by a storm.
With a little time and forethought, you can minimize, and hopefully prevent, the majority of hurricane damage to your home.
Fixing up the kitchen is something that can completely change the look and feel of a house. Contractor who are looking to get started working in this field, or consumers who want to make these improvements can get plenty of valuable tips from a number of places.
There are clubs that you can join that will put you in touch with others that are interested in kitchen renovations. There are websites that will help you network and meet contractors, people that are into DIY renovations and popular ideas about remodeling. Take advantage of organizations and find the right contractor for the job you have in mind.
In order to get all of the freshest kitchen remodeling ideas and information about remodeling tools. You will be able to get helpful information about the newest trends in kitchen renovations. There will also be tips about what tools to sue and you will have a way to connect with others that are in process of remodeling. Find out what they did to make their remodeling dreams come true. Get in touch with kitchen enthusiasts, designers and contractors. Join a club and network your way to a perfect kitchen.
Many home decorators around the world use a country theme for at least one room in their home. Whether they desire a country kitchen or cozy country family room, there is a wide array of options for today's country decorator. Most country décor doesn't have to cost a small fortune.
One very popular type of country décor is Americana. Americana décor consists of varying shades of red, white and blue. The Americana theme can be dressed up with decorative plates, stars, stripes, boxes and sentiments such as "Love, Faith, Hope," just to name a few. Garland is a great wall or tabletop display for nearly every country theme and star garland is ideal for the Americana theme. Many people like to make use of quilts as wall hangings, table cloths or throws.
Muted colors add a very warm feel to almost any décor. Country blues, pale greens, mauves and taupe are excellent color choices for your country theme. Using barn stars, baskets and candles can add a very lovely touch to the country themed room. Barn stars come in a variety of colors and in materials from rough or painted wood to rusted or painted metals. Of course other décor will help determine what type of barn star you go with.
A Southwest table runner is an easy way to bring out that one-of-a-kind western, rustic or Native American feel in your home decor. Because of their growing popularity, more and more home decorators are choosing to buy their southwest style table runners online. Used as decorating accents and also Native style accessories, in breakfast nooks or when decorating a cabin or log home with a rustic orNative American theme, southwestern table runners give your home character and a beautiful authentic look and feel. When purchasing American Indian style table runners, you will find a large selection, and you will no doubt want to put a few of the most popular and sought-after runners or table rugs in your home decor. These table runners have a long history that has evolved over time and can truly be appreciated as great works of art.
Some of the most popular Native style table runners have Indian patterns and uses a combination of unique colors and characters, symbolizing spirituality or depictions of historical events and a wide variety of colors and designs.
Your kid needs his/her own space in the house where he can feel that it is his own domain. Interior design for a kid's room should be exciting, lively, and a bit whimsical for them to enjoy their stay in their own private space. Make a room that they will remember for a lifetime. In decorating your child's room, there are certain things that every parent should consider.
First, involve your child in the planning and decorating process. Ask your child what color he/she wants for his/her room to have and what theme, if ever he/she has one, which he/she wants to incorporate in the room, most kids have a particular theme they love for their bedroom. You will be surprised at how imaginative kids can be when it comes to designing their own bedroom. They can be very imaginative sometimes that what they want might cost a lot, it is your part to be the logical one and tell them what kinds of furniture and design will be better in terms of cost. And respect their wishes that you can accommodate, if your child wants a green room and you prefer your boy to have a blue room, do not use your authority and force him to like a blue room. It is best to honor your child's wishes when it comes to the color of his bedroom, after all he/she will be the one staying there every night. Or you can add the colors you want for combination with his chosen color. In choosing a theme for your child's bedroom, consider his hobbies and interests, if you have an aspiring car racer, then go for the Nascar theme bedroom. If your child loves dinosaurs, choose beddings and fixtures that have dinosaurs on them.
Are you moving from a larger residence into a smaller house or apartment? If so, you are no doubt concerned about making your new accommodations look spacious and inviting. The following decorating ideas will give you a good start on making this transition go more smoothly.
The truth of the matter is that you will probably not be able to fit everything into your new dwelling no matter how much you try to make it happen. This brings us to the first step which is to determine what you really need and can't live without. This may be furniture and accessories that you already own or will need to purchase. The second step is to decide which space-saving strategies will work best for you. Are you interested in built-in storage or freestanding storage? Built-in storage is actually more efficient while freestanding storage creates dead space around it and seems to block vision in the room.
Make use of multipurpose furniture that serves more than one purpose whenever possible. A sofa bed is a good example of multipurpose furniture and may be just right for your situation. Just remember that the sofa bed must be as comfortable as a sofa as it is when made into a bed. The ease of transforming it from one use to the other is also an important consideration. This applies to all multipurpose furniture and accessories.
What do you do if your room makes you feel claustrophobic? You feel cramped in those quarters, but there isn't much you can do about it, or is there? Windows that face the outdoors would help tremendously but there is only so much you can do about the structure of the room. The landlady may kick you out if you knock a hole in the wall to create a window, but there are other ways of bringing in the light. Okay, before we even talk about light, is the room cluttered up?
The first thing you should do in a cramped space is to declutter. Get rid of all the things you don't need. As for what you really need, plan out where you can keep them so that you have as many clear surfaces as possible in the room. The less clutter there is, the more spacious, or at least, the less cramped and stressful the room would feel. Keep all the papers out of sight. Organize them in files, or boxes and hide these boxes in odd corners in the room, out of sight. By the way, how well is your room organized? Many rooms might have unused spaces beneath the window or they may be oddly shaped. Make the most of those odd spaces by building in cabinets or storage spaces and keep your belongings there out of sight, to reduce clutter.
Get a magazine rack to keep your newspapers and latest magazines in. Then keep that magazine rack near the wall. Actually, keeping the furniture against the wall leaves you more space in the center of the room for you to move around.
Are you ready to add some color to your home but really do not know where to start? Do you still have a bit of stage fright about choosing a color? Have no fear, there are easy and stress free ways to add color to your home even if it's your first time. Start with just small bursts of one color. Sometimes all you need are a few accessories. A large decorative pillow, throw and large vase or plate in the same color tone will make a dramatic statement. Put the color on the floor. You can keep paint, furniture and accessories neutral but purchase a throw rug in a vibrant hue. That will instantly draw the eye down and make the room pop. Art is a great way to bring in your favorite color. You can keep the rest of the room neutral and go bold with wall hangings. A twist on that would be to use black and white photos or etchings and paint the frames in a lively color.
Paint is a quick way to add color. You do not have to paint the entire room an accent wall can make a huge impact. Choosing that color can be daunting for some, but it doesn't have to be. Many paint stores offer small tubes of sample colors for purchase. Pick up a few and place them in medium sized blocks on the same wall. Make sure to keep a couple of inches of space between them. Then view the colors during different parts of the day & evening. It's amazing how different it can look from the morning with natural light and at night with accent lighting. This will give you a true sense of the paint color and help to make your decision in choosing a bit easier.
Decorating your home in the modern style will fill it will straighter furniture in plainer finishes of dark woods or black paint. The reason for such dark home furnishing decorating is the elegant, sophisticated feel it provides the room. Typically, the number of accessories in this home decorating idea are scarce. Only a few very purposefully placed items will be prominently displayed within the room.
This allows you to spend a bit more on the quality of your home decorating, with a few very special pieces, instead of filling the room with less expensive and less impressive items.
Warm colors.
Red, Orange, Yellow. This part of the color spectrum suggests warmth, passion, coziness, hearth and home.
Cool colors.
Blue, Green, Purple. This portion of the wheel gives feelings of cool calmness and serenity.
Where the warm colors are loud and energetic, the cool colors are quiet and introspective. But, because most colors, particularly the ones you might find at the paint store, are a blend of colors, you can have warmer or cooler versions of hues. So there are cool purples that are more blue than red, and warm purples that are more red than blue.
Taking into account the room you are working with and its primary function, you can choose a warmer or cooler color. A cozy study could use a warm color like a warm rust; a home office might work well with a cool, crisp green. It all depends on the desired effect you are looking for.
One additional thing to keep in mind is that no room exists in a vacuum. You can have each room in your home with a completely different feeling, but you may have to consider the flow so that the transition from room to room is not jarring.
